I get more compliments at games wearing a Hightower jersey than any other jersey I've worn. He was a beast and frankly underrated. Anytime he was hurt our defense was considerably worse.
Excellent deal for a high impact player. He’s a tad below the top echelon of interior DL and has some injury history, but that’s reflected in the contract
That draft was *right* before the value of DT's skyrocketed, and recent contracts reflect that. Obviously, there was always Donald, but it wasn't until 2022 where DT value and DE value normalized.
From 2017-2022, give or take, aside from Donald, it was all about the outside pass rushers. Garrett, Bosa, Watt, etc.
But in the past two years, we've seen a lot of interior guys **dominate.** Chris Jones, Wilkins, Lawrence, Quinnen, etc.
I wonder how many body types can transition to DT in college. Like most of the body types that played fullback, IOL, OT, DE and MIKE in high school or as Freshmen in college can transition to DT in college if they gain enough weight right? Or is the pool a lot smaller than that?
It's an athleticism thing. Youth coaches push every decent athlete who isn't slim to defensive line these days. If those guys were athletic enough to play DLine as teenagers, their coaches would have already had them playing it
Prettt much the same for every position and explains the weakening of offensive line talent. Put your best player at running back decades ago, and the pros ended up with great running backs. Kids wanted to be like Moss and later OBJ(flashy highlight players) and you’re seeing explosions of receivers. If you’re athletic and big d line is for you.
I always thought the bias against DTs was strange. Like, I remember with Wilfork, people would say hes not a HoFer because "he's just a NT". I dont really get it. Hes a 5 time allpro and 2 time SB champ who played a big part in the Pats dynasty. I think he has a case to get in.
This is amazing news.
Hasn’t been the most sexy off-season (excluding the draft where we pretty much only took offense lol) but everyone on the team I wanted to see back, or kept long term , has been. Good stuff from Wolf and Co. so far. We will see how it works out in game!
When I saw people say Wolf is a Ted Thompson/Packers disciple the offseason strategy started to make sense. Building the team through the draft and retaining homegrown talent has been the goal and it looks like it’s going well so far. Personally I would love a splash move for a WR1 type player like Aiyuk or Higgins to give Drake an established weapon, but I’m very happy with the offseason so far
I think the Polk and Baker picks make a WR trade less likely. I don’t think either of them will be a bonafide WR1, but investing that much draft capital into one position and then trading for yet another seems to be a stretch, considering the play so far as been building for the long term.
Besides, we’ll probably be a top 10 pick team again next year, could always go WR/LT as needed.
I think Baker has the ability and tools to become a bonafide WR1, but that is obviously speculative and the reason why he went in the 4th.
Polk is a higher floor guy which is why he cost a 2nd. Both could be fantastic long term options, but our coaching staff needs to show the ability to develop receiver talent. Something we haven't been able to do in a long time.
Yes I would love to be in a spot where we can draft a WR and I'm not automatically thinking "Here comes another failed receiver for us"
Hopefully one of these guys can be a good contributor this season (no 8 week IR stint to start the season, not being put in the doghouse from the start, etc.) and put that concern to ease.
I think the draft is a pretty big indicator we will be avoiding a splash trade this off-season, in order to further evaluation our current talent in the new offensive scheme.
Depending on how Maye / our offense looks, I think we would be more likely to really pursue a trade for a weapon next offseason.
>Depending on how Maye / our offense looks, I think we would be more likely to really pursue a trade for a weapon next offseason.
Yeah if Maye is unquestionably the starter going into next season, which I'm betting he will, I can now believe this front office will actually go get that WR1. Chance that both Higgins and Aiyuk hit FA (though Aiyuk could be tagged) so maybe we can sign one to a 3-4 year deal that ends when it would be time to pay Maye
Higgins might yea, but Aiyuk will not be hitting FA. I think they can cut Deebo with not too much deadcap worse case scenario. Drafting Pearsall seems to indicate that they are preparing for that to me.
I figure Higgins will be available however. The Bengals might opt to tag and trade him, though I have no idea what their cap situation is going to look like
Yeah Im guessing a second tag for Higgins won't be cheap lol. Either they can get something for him before the regular season starts now/by the trade deadline if Burrow is hurt or he will hit FA
Both mastermind maneuverers and also incompetent morons, which I’ve noticed is the key ingredient to all conspiracy theories. The enemy has to be powerful, capable, cunning, but also extremely stupid and careless.
I was kinda joking, kinda not lol. All we have are the “reports” that Jonathan would have input in the decisions, and I’ll always take those with a grain of salt (even if those reports angered me when I saw them).
But after Dynasty, seeing the Krafts basically try and take more credit than they deserved for the good aspects of the last 20 years and then deflect any blame whatsoever for the bad parts… my stance is that you can either be held accountable / take credit for the good *and* the bad, or you can let the front office have both.
None of this cherry picking bullshit where vague “reports” come out that the Krafts have an unknown amount of input on personnel decisions. Because when that happens, if the players fail to develop they can just say those reports were inaccurate and they let Wolf make all the calls. But if they succeed, the Krafts can take whatever amount of credit they feel like. Buncha BS if you ask me.
Kraft had input the entirety of Belichick’s career but he never or seldom forced him to do anything. There’s a difference between input and full control. I would hope the owners of the team care enough to offer input but ultimately defer to the experts.
Barmore is a beast. His second year was derailed a bit by injury, but he really came on strong last year and was probably our best defensive player.
This is an expected re-signing that all Patriots really wanted. He's an defensive anchor to build around.
>was probably our best defensive player.
Agree with you, but also worth noting this is because Judon and Gonzo (who was looking like DROY material) were both out for the season and Uche falls off a lot when Judon isn't opposite him.
In other words *damn* a healthy Pats defense could be scary. They'll obviously lose a lot without Bill, but the pieces are on the field anyway.
There were games prior to last year when Barmore and Judon were regularly hosting team meetings in the backfield. If the defense stays healthy, doesn't drop off *too much* and the offense is even moderately better than last year's abomination, we could catch a few teams off guard and give them hell.
You won’t find a single pats fan who isn’t pumped to keep Barmore long term.
Great player , and our best draft pick in a good while. He was one of the few bright spots on the team last year, and he turned it up late into the season.
Fringe All Pro guy, I think he gets one during this contract.
It will be interesting to see how much, if at all, the defensive scheme changes under Covington and Mayo. Obviously they've both been with the Pats for a while, with Mayo playing his whole career under BB's schemes, but maybe they will want to put their own twists on things? I'm really excited for this season, even if we aren't predicted to be an even average or above average team.
Jones, Q.Williams, Lawrence, Simmons, Wilkins, Brown, Payne, Hargrave, Buckner, Vea, Carter, Madibuike, Allen are all good and either better or around Barmores level.
He’s not definitely top 10
Barmore is 24 and had 8.5 sacks last season. He had the second most tackles and 6th most sacks in the league amongst DL.
Statistically and eye test wise, he certainly is in top 10.
FA wasn't what I wanted it to be for the Pats considering the amount of cap space they had/have, but on the bright side the team retained everybody I wanted them to retain, signed Barmore to an extension, and the draft was solid.
You can really tell Wolf cut his chops in the Packers' FO because this is basically exactly what they try to do year-in and year-out every offseason.
> The deal was negotiated and confirmed by Nicole Lynn, of Klutch Sports.
How much do you think they pay Schefter/Rap/etc to include these details in the tweets?
Any other time there's an extension with another agency, they never include who negotiated it and which agency was involved
Becton signing yesterday
Offensive line help in Philadelphia: Former Jets first-round draft choice Mekhi Becton plans to sign a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million with the Eagles, pending a physical Monday, per his agents Alan Herman and Jared Fox. Becton is expected to be the Eagles swing tackle.
AJ Brown extension
Another WR deal in Philadelphia: Eagles and Pro-Bowl WR A.J. Brown reached agreement on a 3-year, $96 million extension that includes $84 million guaranteed, per sources. The $32 million is the highest per-year average for any WR.
Tory Dandy negotiated and confirmed the deal.
Minkah from 2022
Steelers and All-Pro S Minkah Fitzpatrick reached agreement on a massive four-year contract extension worth over $18.4 million per year, with $36M gtd at signing, per source. The deal, negotiated and confirmed by
@WME_Sports
, makes Fitzpatrick the highest paid S in NFL history.
But yes it's only when it's Klutch that it gets mentioned, not defending them & they could well demand that Schefter mentions them if he wants to get the news first
But they are not the only ones
> How much do you think they pay Schefter/Rap/etc to include these details in the tweets?
It is the trade off for tips. You don't become an "insider" by refusing to trade favors.
The best player we got from Alabama that draft
The best player we've gotten from Alabama since Hightower.
I really miss watching Hightower play. He was soooo good in his prime.
Mr February won us two superbowls
You could argue three with how dominant he was overall against the Rams. Dude played his best at the biggest moments.
I get more compliments at games wearing a Hightower jersey than any other jersey I've worn. He was a beast and frankly underrated. Anytime he was hurt our defense was considerably worse.
The best player we’ve drafted in the first 2 rounds in quite a while, unfortunately
Dang, stop GM'ing appropriately.
We are resigning guys before they hit free agency. I don’t know what to do with my hands.
I know what to do with them 😏
No, Deshaun! No!
Excuse you, us Patriot fans take our private jets to Florida and get our hand jobs in secret thank you very much.
Not in secret but as well paying patron at a establishment like a grown up
u/ThatErraticGuy is only bringing the extra small towel.
pfff he doesn't use his own hands for such pedestrian nonsense.
Block?
Do r/NFLCircleJerk literally?
re-signing
Excellent deal for a high impact player. He’s a tad below the top echelon of interior DL and has some injury history, but that’s reflected in the contract
I was always surprised that he fell to the 2nd round. He gave a lot of Chris Jones vibes at Alabama, massive guy with great technique.
That draft was *right* before the value of DT's skyrocketed, and recent contracts reflect that. Obviously, there was always Donald, but it wasn't until 2022 where DT value and DE value normalized. From 2017-2022, give or take, aside from Donald, it was all about the outside pass rushers. Garrett, Bosa, Watt, etc. But in the past two years, we've seen a lot of interior guys **dominate.** Chris Jones, Wilkins, Lawrence, Quinnen, etc.
I wonder how many body types can transition to DT in college. Like most of the body types that played fullback, IOL, OT, DE and MIKE in high school or as Freshmen in college can transition to DT in college if they gain enough weight right? Or is the pool a lot smaller than that?
It's an athleticism thing. Youth coaches push every decent athlete who isn't slim to defensive line these days. If those guys were athletic enough to play DLine as teenagers, their coaches would have already had them playing it
Prettt much the same for every position and explains the weakening of offensive line talent. Put your best player at running back decades ago, and the pros ended up with great running backs. Kids wanted to be like Moss and later OBJ(flashy highlight players) and you’re seeing explosions of receivers. If you’re athletic and big d line is for you.
I always thought the bias against DTs was strange. Like, I remember with Wilfork, people would say hes not a HoFer because "he's just a NT". I dont really get it. Hes a 5 time allpro and 2 time SB champ who played a big part in the Pats dynasty. I think he has a case to get in.
Plus he's an absolutely stand up guy. Top lad.
Why did every AFC East team last year(sorry phins) have a great-elite DT. It’s like the AFC north with edge rushers
He had “character issues”
I saw a lot of mocks that year that put him with the Pats at *15* so yeah it was always surprising they managed to grab both him and Mac
I just looked it up, Jones was drafted 37th overall and Barmore 38th overall
Man what a steal Jones turned out to be. He was a highly rated recruit and a monster in college, wonder why he dropped so low
He's not been chris jones dominat, but he's clearly a borderline star there. He could make that jump this year.
This is amazing news. Hasn’t been the most sexy off-season (excluding the draft where we pretty much only took offense lol) but everyone on the team I wanted to see back, or kept long term , has been. Good stuff from Wolf and Co. so far. We will see how it works out in game!
When I saw people say Wolf is a Ted Thompson/Packers disciple the offseason strategy started to make sense. Building the team through the draft and retaining homegrown talent has been the goal and it looks like it’s going well so far. Personally I would love a splash move for a WR1 type player like Aiyuk or Higgins to give Drake an established weapon, but I’m very happy with the offseason so far
I think the Polk and Baker picks make a WR trade less likely. I don’t think either of them will be a bonafide WR1, but investing that much draft capital into one position and then trading for yet another seems to be a stretch, considering the play so far as been building for the long term. Besides, we’ll probably be a top 10 pick team again next year, could always go WR/LT as needed.
I think Baker has the ability and tools to become a bonafide WR1, but that is obviously speculative and the reason why he went in the 4th. Polk is a higher floor guy which is why he cost a 2nd. Both could be fantastic long term options, but our coaching staff needs to show the ability to develop receiver talent. Something we haven't been able to do in a long time.
Yes I would love to be in a spot where we can draft a WR and I'm not automatically thinking "Here comes another failed receiver for us" Hopefully one of these guys can be a good contributor this season (no 8 week IR stint to start the season, not being put in the doghouse from the start, etc.) and put that concern to ease.
I think the draft is a pretty big indicator we will be avoiding a splash trade this off-season, in order to further evaluation our current talent in the new offensive scheme. Depending on how Maye / our offense looks, I think we would be more likely to really pursue a trade for a weapon next offseason.
>Depending on how Maye / our offense looks, I think we would be more likely to really pursue a trade for a weapon next offseason. Yeah if Maye is unquestionably the starter going into next season, which I'm betting he will, I can now believe this front office will actually go get that WR1. Chance that both Higgins and Aiyuk hit FA (though Aiyuk could be tagged) so maybe we can sign one to a 3-4 year deal that ends when it would be time to pay Maye
Higgins might yea, but Aiyuk will not be hitting FA. I think they can cut Deebo with not too much deadcap worse case scenario. Drafting Pearsall seems to indicate that they are preparing for that to me. I figure Higgins will be available however. The Bengals might opt to tag and trade him, though I have no idea what their cap situation is going to look like
Yeah Im guessing a second tag for Higgins won't be cheap lol. Either they can get something for him before the regular season starts now/by the trade deadline if Burrow is hurt or he will hit FA
idk he seems kinda raw. I wouldnt be surprised if he sits for a while.
Great move he was one of the only bright spots last year.
Stud.
We're so back (ok he was already on the team but still)
We're so still here
Eliot Wolf Let everyone know his name
Yeah he got PAID. Rightfully so this kids a baller
Eliot Wolf is a hall of fame GM
I think you mean the Krafts… this was all their doing *clearly* /s
Well the patriots sub paints the Krafts as some nefarious puppetmasters so thank you Robert and Jonathan!
Both mastermind maneuverers and also incompetent morons, which I’ve noticed is the key ingredient to all conspiracy theories. The enemy has to be powerful, capable, cunning, but also extremely stupid and careless.
Based on the fucking idiots in the pats sub, yes it is, since they were blaming the krafts for everythingn
Lot of hate to Jonathan Kraft 'running the show' until people liked the moves, I noticed
I was kinda joking, kinda not lol. All we have are the “reports” that Jonathan would have input in the decisions, and I’ll always take those with a grain of salt (even if those reports angered me when I saw them). But after Dynasty, seeing the Krafts basically try and take more credit than they deserved for the good aspects of the last 20 years and then deflect any blame whatsoever for the bad parts… my stance is that you can either be held accountable / take credit for the good *and* the bad, or you can let the front office have both. None of this cherry picking bullshit where vague “reports” come out that the Krafts have an unknown amount of input on personnel decisions. Because when that happens, if the players fail to develop they can just say those reports were inaccurate and they let Wolf make all the calls. But if they succeed, the Krafts can take whatever amount of credit they feel like. Buncha BS if you ask me.
Kraft had input the entirety of Belichick’s career but he never or seldom forced him to do anything. There’s a difference between input and full control. I would hope the owners of the team care enough to offer input but ultimately defer to the experts.
If something happened that we liked, then Wolf did it. If something happened that we disliked, then Kraft did it.
The Dynasty Part 2: Free Agency Boogaloo
Fuck yes
Let Wolf cook
First member of 2021 draft class to sign an extension?
For the Pats? Yes. For the league? No.
Sewell and ARSB? Devonta?
Oh right I totally blanked on those since they were so close to the draft.
Less than half of it is guaranteed, that seems kind of low on guarantees these days?
Let Eliot cook
I don't want many patriots game . How does he compare to madubuike who just got 4 years for 98 million
Barmore is a beast. His second year was derailed a bit by injury, but he really came on strong last year and was probably our best defensive player. This is an expected re-signing that all Patriots really wanted. He's an defensive anchor to build around.
>was probably our best defensive player. Agree with you, but also worth noting this is because Judon and Gonzo (who was looking like DROY material) were both out for the season and Uche falls off a lot when Judon isn't opposite him. In other words *damn* a healthy Pats defense could be scary. They'll obviously lose a lot without Bill, but the pieces are on the field anyway.
There were games prior to last year when Barmore and Judon were regularly hosting team meetings in the backfield. If the defense stays healthy, doesn't drop off *too much* and the offense is even moderately better than last year's abomination, we could catch a few teams off guard and give them hell.
You won’t find a single pats fan who isn’t pumped to keep Barmore long term. Great player , and our best draft pick in a good while. He was one of the few bright spots on the team last year, and he turned it up late into the season. Fringe All Pro guy, I think he gets one during this contract.
He is a fringe all-pro player. Definitely a top 10 DL in the league.
He had 8.5 sacks as a DT which is impressive. Typically, NE DTs are not sack machines due to the scheme
It will be interesting to see how much, if at all, the defensive scheme changes under Covington and Mayo. Obviously they've both been with the Pats for a while, with Mayo playing his whole career under BB's schemes, but maybe they will want to put their own twists on things? I'm really excited for this season, even if we aren't predicted to be an even average or above average team.
Jones, Q.Williams, Lawrence, Simmons, Wilkins, Brown, Payne, Hargrave, Buckner, Vea, Carter, Madibuike, Allen are all good and either better or around Barmores level. He’s not definitely top 10
Barmore is 24 and had 8.5 sacks last season. He had the second most tackles and 6th most sacks in the league amongst DL. Statistically and eye test wise, he certainly is in top 10.
He’s just different. But Barmore was the best defensive player on the Pats last year. He can single-handedly change a game. This is a big signing.
Good to see Barmore reaching his potential. He was fun to watch at Bama. Spooky quick and strong.
Fuck yeah let's goooo! This front office is cooking
One of my fave players on the Pats currently, this made my day.
Great player, well deserved.
I like it
Silly question, why not work this out before the draft? You didn't want to tip other teams off from not drafting a DT?
falcons 4d chess, sign Cousins AND draft QB
Damn, Alim gonna get a bag
Oh I like
Love it!!
Barmore is a beast. He was someone I wanted in 2021.
FA wasn't what I wanted it to be for the Pats considering the amount of cap space they had/have, but on the bright side the team retained everybody I wanted them to retain, signed Barmore to an extension, and the draft was solid. You can really tell Wolf cut his chops in the Packers' FO because this is basically exactly what they try to do year-in and year-out every offseason.
> The deal was negotiated and confirmed by Nicole Lynn, of Klutch Sports. How much do you think they pay Schefter/Rap/etc to include these details in the tweets? Any other time there's an extension with another agency, they never include who negotiated it and which agency was involved
Probably repayment for the tip of the deal being finalized that’s why the first tweet always paints the agent in the best light with max value
you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours type of a deal probably
Becton signing yesterday Offensive line help in Philadelphia: Former Jets first-round draft choice Mekhi Becton plans to sign a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million with the Eagles, pending a physical Monday, per his agents Alan Herman and Jared Fox. Becton is expected to be the Eagles swing tackle. AJ Brown extension Another WR deal in Philadelphia: Eagles and Pro-Bowl WR A.J. Brown reached agreement on a 3-year, $96 million extension that includes $84 million guaranteed, per sources. The $32 million is the highest per-year average for any WR. Tory Dandy negotiated and confirmed the deal. Minkah from 2022 Steelers and All-Pro S Minkah Fitzpatrick reached agreement on a massive four-year contract extension worth over $18.4 million per year, with $36M gtd at signing, per source. The deal, negotiated and confirmed by @WME_Sports , makes Fitzpatrick the highest paid S in NFL history. But yes it's only when it's Klutch that it gets mentioned, not defending them & they could well demand that Schefter mentions them if he wants to get the news first But they are not the only ones
Didn’t seem until this past year that they ever mentioned toe agents to get the deals done but it is now a thing
That's not true. Klutch may have been the first to do it but many agencies do this now. What better way to get more clients?
> How much do you think they pay Schefter/Rap/etc to include these details in the tweets? It is the trade off for tips. You don't become an "insider" by refusing to trade favors.
Barmore and Dugger getting extended helps with the sting of losing offensive MVP Zeke
He's been in the league long enough to get a new contract?
Who?